Goal-by-Goal Analysis: Big Ten Tournament Final Comment Count

Adam Schnepp

Saturday, March 19, 2016

#20 Minnesota 3, #7 Michigan 5

1st period

MOTTE GOAL, MICHIGAN

MINN 0 MICH 1 PPG 09:33 Assists: Connor & Werenski

Werenski moves the puck to Connor as the rest of Michigan's power play works to establish position.

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Connor holds the puck and the defenders all look like they're infested with lice, moving and twitching and adjusting and readjusting while Connor just holds and holds and holds a little longer. The defenders, especially the one nearest Connor in the faceoff circle, seem very worried about the cross-ice one timer to the opposite wing.

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That works to Michigan's advantage, as everybody just forgot about Motte in front of the net. Connor passes and Motte spins in a circle and shoots. Schierhorn stops the first shot, but Motte flips his own rebound into the top corner; he regularly puts the puck top shelf from angles that seem like it should be impossible to lift the puck.

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2nd period

COMPHER GOAL, MICHIGAN

MINN 0 MICH 2 PPG 01:31 Assists: Werenski & Connor

Werenski's pass for Connor hops over his stick and goes to the corner, but the puck's eventually reversed back to Werenski. He sees how bunched up and shifted the defense is and how open Compher is on the other side of the ice and makes the easy pass.

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When Compher receives the pass he has a wide open half of the net, but he can't settle it and doesn't regain control until where he is in the screen shot below. He throws a backhander on net that Schierhorn stops.

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Compher manages to stop quickly and chop at the puck, which is sitting in front of Schierhorn's pad. One of Compher's hacks lifts the puck up enough to get over his pad.

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[After THE JUMP: a comeback, an undressing, a tournament championship]

Bristedt goal, Minnesota

MINN 1 MICH 2 EV 06:35 Assists: Lettieri & Glover

Lettieri gets a pass near center ice and carries in to Minnesota's offensive zone. He drives wide, but Cecconi's there to pick him up as he gets closer to the net. He's got support from Nieves, and Martin's in good position to pick up the guy headed for the slot.

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Lettieri heads behind the net; Cecconi turns to go with him and is able to dissuade him from trying to take a step up and jam the puck in a la Compher. Still, Racine has to lock down the post just in case.

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Here's the play at the same time but from a different angle. Nieves (circled) is the center, but he stays along the right wing because he head-checked and saw that there was a trailer creeping in behind him; he's stays where he does to take away that passing lane.

Warren (in the rectangle below) has been caught on the ice for a double shift, and he looks exhausted. He's just gliding to the front of the net, never looking back to see who's around him. Bristedt is coming down into the slot and going right by him; Lettieri sees it and passes just before he does behind the net.

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Bristedt one-times it, and there's not enough time for Warren to turn and alter the shot attempt or for Racine to get across to stop it.

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Bischoff goal, Minnesota

MINN 2 MICH 2 EV 10:21 Assists: Brodzinski & Kloos

Brodzinski walks the blue line, eventually opting to shoot after he's gone just far enough right to where he thinks he could get a deflection. He doesn't, as Racine stops the shot and pushes the rebound to his left. He was able to see the shot through traffic, but the two players in the circle below are about to create the goal's flashpoint.

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Bischoff has the puck and is headed behind the net without a defender in tow. Meanwhile, Martin and Kloos have skated through the crease and now Racine's flat on his back and trying to crawl across to cover the net.

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Racine's stating to turn over here in an effort to extend his stick and take away the bottom of the net. At first glance it looks like Racine reacts slowly to this, but when he first falls he's far enough out of his net that he has to worry about Bischoff trying to jam the puck in near-side; he scoots over and connects his arm to the post.

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Once Bischoff gets behind the net Racine flops across to try and take away the other side. Motte sees Bischoff go behind the net and comes down to take away the crease, but he's still able to wrap the puck around and over Racine's stick.

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Kloos goal, Minnesota

MINN 3 MICH 2 PPG 16:50 Assists: Novak & Bischoff

Bischoff has the puck at the point and passes to Novak on the wing. Novak surveys and finds Kloos on the opposite side of the ice ready for a one-timer. Compher's in that passing lane, but he lost his stick in an earlier collision and is limited in what he can do sans getting his body directly in the path of the puck.

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Novak's pass gets through, and Kloos is frighteningly ready; look at that stick flex as he's about to release. Racine has to move side to side, but with the shot placed perfectly in the corner I don't think he would have been able to stop it even if he was staring it down.

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3rd period

CONNOR GOAL, MICHIGAN

MINN 3 MICH 3 EV 03:28 Assists: Compher & Werenski

Minnesota turns the puck over in the neutral zone and Werenski picks it up. He passes to Motte, who carries into the zone and drops the puck for Compher. Compher's shot is stopped by Schierhorn, but a long rebound rolls above the faceoff circle. Werenski pinches and shoots, but the shot hits someone and goes to the corner. Compher gains possession and somehow executes a perfect pass through double coverage to a very, very open Kyle Connor.

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Now it's Connor, the Big Ten's Player of the Year, against Schierhorn, the Big Ten's Goaltender of the Year. Connor stickhandles a bit and takes a step forward, which gets Schierhorn to hit the ice.

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He then stickhandles, pulls the puck out to his backhand and around Schierhorn, puts it on his forehand, and tucks it in the net. This description doesn't matter. I know you're just watching the gif and I don't blame you. Not. At. All.

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WERENSKI GOAL, MICHIGAN

MINN 3 MICH 4 PPG 15:27 Assists: Compher & Connor

Connor's one-timer is blocked but he's able to get the puck back. He circles in the corner, and as he gets back to where he started he sees Compher open on the opposite side of the ice thanks to the way the defense shifted. He somehow threads a pass through heavy traffic.

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Compher wants to pass to Werenski, but Lettieri has his stick in the passing lane. That doesn't deter Compher; he takes a couple of choppy strides toward the blue line, pulling a defender toward him and opening up the lane he wanted. He's then able to pass to Werenski unimpeded.

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Werenski one-times it, and the puck manages to avoid the screeners in front. It hits the far-side top corner. Motte does a nice job of lurking to the side of the net and not stepping in until he sees Werenski wind up, which allows him to slip in behind the defense. He pulls his stick toward his body in an effort to deflect the puck, but Werenski's shot doesn't need the help.

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MOTTE GOAL, MICHIGAN

MINN 3 MICH 5 EN 19:37 Assists: Piazza

Bischoff chips the puck down the boards and turns it over. Piazza gets it and passes to Motte, who takes off.

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There's one defender deep and Motte shoots directly into him. The puck falls to his side, though, and Motte picks it up on his backhand, pulls it across, and shoots.

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You can't buy the fun.

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